iDealwine at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter

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Last weekend, we had the pleasure of participating in the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter, and we had a blast! This event, which takes place every year, brings together 100 of the most prestigious producers from all over the world for two days of tastings, discussions, and masterclasses. Given the first-class selection of wines on offer on the iDealwine platform, Decanter invited us to share some of our favourite bottles with London-based amateurs. Below, a recap of this wonderful weekend.

On the morning of Saturday 4th November, the iDealwine team arrived at the Landmark Hotel, ready for a weekend of sharing our wines and meeting London-based wine enthusiasts. This hotel – one of the most iconic of the capital – was the perfect location for such a prestigious wine fair.

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                     The Winter Garden at The Landmark Hotel

Our stand gave visitors a glimpse into the iDealwine world – particularly the excellent, specialist range of wines available on our platform, at both fixed-price and auction. As usual, we had put together an exceptional selection of wines which we couldn’t wait to share with you. Bordeaux enthusiasts were very impressed with our array of mature grands crus, including the sublime Château Lafon Rochet 2000, Château Sociando Mallet 2003 and the slightly younger, sumptuous Château Giscours 2008. The liquid gold that is Château Doisy Daëne, in the outstanding 2001 vintage, also drew in a crowd of Sauternes lovers.

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         The line-up – and what a line-up it is!

It was a pleasure to share the Moulin à Vent 2003 from Château des Jacques with you. This Beaujolais didn’t fail to surprise even the expert wine-tasters among you; with its prominent oaky aromas on the nose and palate – due to its oak-barrel élevage – this old vintage challenged the conception that wines from this region must be drunk young. Lovers of northern Rhone wines enjoyed the refinement and finesse of the Côte-Rôtie 2012 from domain Michel et Stéphane Ogier.

Our selection of white wines also included some real gems, for instance the cuvée Argile 2016 from Domaine des Ardoisières. One of the firm favourites among our visitors was the excellent Mâcon Pierreclos En Crazy 2016 from domaine Guffens Heynen, whose aromas of honeyed peaches and white flowers stunned Chardonnay devotees. One of the team’s coups de coeur, the sumptuous and very well-reputed vin jaune En Spois 2011 from domain Tissot seduced our fellow enthusiasts with its nutty, rancio notes and never-ending finish.

We mustn’t forget the star of the show, and one of iDealwine’s flagship wines, the Rivesaltes 1958 from Château Villargeil. Participants flocked to the stand to try this rare, unique and absolutely delicious wine.

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          Given the popularity of our stand, our selection clearly impressed our London audience!

Throughout the weekend, we encouraged visitors to put their taste buds to the test with our blind tastings. The four ‘mystery wines’ were:

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Our first blind tasting of the weekend: a Corton Grancey Grand Cru 2002 from maison Louis Latour

All good things must come to an end, and so, on Sunday afternoon, we packed up our bags and headed back to Paris. We would like to thank Decanter for organizing such an excellent event and thank you to everyone who came; we thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and hearing about your coups de cœur. We hope to see you again soon in London, for more wine tastings and discussions.

A bientôt! 😊

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If you’re feeling tempted by the sound of these wines, why not have a look at all of our wines currently for sale? Or why not relive the weekend with us, with our Decanter Fine Wine Encounter photo album!

Other things to read on the iDealwine blog:

iDealwine in London: Masterclass at the Wine and Spirits Show

iDealwine at The City Wine Show: the recap